As many people are using Internet, it is no surprise that criminals are seeking new, innovative ways to scam you into giving up access to sensitive data and your computer devices for their own use. They know that many users are not very savvy about computer security and how to detect a scam, so they will continually try to trip up anyone they can through spam, counterfeit websites, text messages, unsolicited phone calls, and fake security alerts. There are many ways they will try to trip you up, and no one is beyond fooling if the ploy is well-designed, and new scams are being devised every year. Your best weapon is to be very cautious and skeptical. Although this short article is not an exhaustive list of the ways you can be fooled and robbed, it will hopefully arm you with basic information that you need in order to protect yourself. Verify with Whom You are DealingA cardinal rule to keep in mind before giving out personal data, money, or access to your computer, is to verify with whom you are dealing. In October 2005, my predecessor, Jamie Leben, gave an excellent presentation on computer security (to download his PowerPoint files, please visit www.cugg.org/presentations.htm#0510_security). To protect yourself and your assets, you should always confirm that anyone you deal with by email, chat, text, or phone is who they claim to be, and that they have a right to the information they request of you. If you receive a phone call about a problem with your banking or credit card count, or a security problem with your computer, or anything else that requires you to give up your personal data or provide access to your computer, hang up. If you receive electronic communication such as a text or email, do not respond. If you are concerned enough to follow up, then look up the person's or company's contact information from a trustworthy source. If it has to do with your bank or credit card, then call the phone number listed on your bank or credit card statement. For computer products or services, look for contact information or a web site address in the product documentation, invoice, or on the product packaging. For a government agency, look it up in the phone book or an official publication. Be careful of searching for a company's web site on the Internet, as scammers set up websites with a URL that is similar to that of a legitimate company, and then gladly fleece you for sub-standard support, or to gain control of your computer. As a rule, never give up any information--name, birth date, credit card number, banking information, password, or anything else--to someone you do not know.A common scam that has been around for a while, operating out of call center in India, is one in which someone calls you out of the blue, claiming to be with Microsoft or a company affiliated with Microsoft. The reason for the call is that they supposedly detected a malware infection on your computer and will assist in "cleaning" it. They will attempt to convince you to allow them remote access to your computer, which they may then infect with software that will collect your personal information or perform any other of number of functions. They will also attempt to convince you to give up payment information such as a credit card number or PayPal account, so they can then steal your money, ostensibly as payment for "services" or to "renew" an expired Microsoft license. Microsoft does no such thing, nor do any of their legitimate affiliates (see www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx).Pop-upsMalicious websites can produce pop-ups that make a variety of claims such as your computer is infected, the registry is "poor," your computer is running slow, etc. Don't believe it. It is too easy for someone to concoct a website pop-up that looks sophisticated enough to be a legitimate warning. I have even seen one that contained animated graphics of what appeared to be an active scan of the user's hard drive for malicious software. No web site is checking your computer for problems. Do not click on the pop-ups--close them. Do not call a phone number listed on the pop-up or purchase any software you supposedly need. Do not trust a pop-up for a product you've never heard of and never installed on your computer. If you cannot close a pop-up, it may be safest to shut down or reboot your computer to get out of the site. Then be certain not to return to the website. Other pop-ups may be produced by malicious software that is installed on your computer by a "drive-by download." These can be more troublesome, as they can take up residence on your computer and not go away no matter what you click or even if you reboot. Some, such as fake warning that you supposedly did some criminal, thus necessitating the FBI to lock you out of your computer, can be especially difficult to close or remove.As a rule, you always want to be certain you have a current anti-virus program installed before you connect to the web. The program should automatically download and install updates when they become available, and should always have an active subscription. (You should also keep up-to-date with the latest software updates for your operating system.) Some programs may require you to renew your subscription every year, so be certain to do so. In addition to having good anti-virus software, I have found the free version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (www.malwarebytes.org/) to be a good additional tool for finding and removing troublesome software that other anti-virus software may miss. The free version does not constantly run in the background, so it won't interfere with other software such as Norton AntiVirus, which is always running. You should also be careful of the websites you visit. If you do not know what a site is about, it is best not to go there. But then, even legitimate sites can be hacked into to serve up malware to visitors, so be certain your anti-virus software is up-to-date. Some browsers such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox can warn you if they detect the site may be dangerous.Email SecurityDon't believe everything you receive in email. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. A common scam is the "Nigerian 419" scam in which a person supposedly from Nigeria or other foreign country needs help moving millions of dollars from a bank account to another account overseas (never mind that it would be illegal to do so). All you need to do is to give your account information so they can transfer the money and leave you with a tidy fee for your assistance. A variation of this scam is that someone has supposedly died and left no heirs, so you have been chosen because of your reputation to be the lucky recipient of the money. Do not fall for them. Too many people have lost money, which is why these scams are profitable and continue to be propagated. Never share sensitive personal or financial information by email; you might just as well write it on a piece of paper and post it on a public bulletin board for the world to see.File attachments are another concern. Too often times, you may receive email with an important attachment to be opened. The message may be "spoofed" to make it appear to be from someone you know or from a legitimate company. The scam runs the gambit of a picture of a promising romantic match, an airline ticket you supposedly purchased, an invoice for an online purchase, a form for claiming an undeliverable shipment, details about an ACH transfer, an important Windows update, etc. As a rule, never open a file attachment from someone you do not know; just delete the email. Never open a file attachment that appears to be from someone you know, if you did not expect to receive the file. If you think you know the person, call or write to confirm that the attachment is legitimate. Unless you can confirm it is legitimate, do not open it.As for "official" communications regarding unpaid taxes, money transfers, failure to show up for jury duty or a court case, or other governmental or financial matters, you should expect to receive it as U.S. mail, not as an email message or attachment. Also, be suspicious of email that appears to be from a company or government entity with whom you know you have never shared your email address.

1: So You Have a new Computer-Now What? Bob Gostischa (Guest Speaker)2: Windows 8.0 and 8.1 Suggestions - Frank Whiteley3: Q & A - Eric Moore1: The latest iPad Air, and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S. The features of both devices will be demonstrated using HDMI outputs to dual projectors and screens. - Ron Mettler and Dick Maxfield

Starting in August .. I will RECORD the meeting in AUDIO (Stereo).I will post them to this page after the meeting or the Following Month.This is an experiment .. If you-all want this to continuePlease send me an email

10 Tips for Online Shopping SafetyBy Sandy Berger, CompuKISSwww.compukiss.comsandy (at) compukiss.comAmazingly, in today's topsy-turvy world, because of vulnerabilities in the processing of credit and debit cards used at retail stores and the hackers who are focusing on those vulnerabilities, right now shopping online can actually be safer than swiping your card at a local store. For safety sake, however, there are a few online shopping rules that you should follow.1. The first of these is to always have a good antivirus program installed on your computer and to update your antivirus program and other software like the operating system whenever an update is available. When in doubt, don't click on links. This is especially true of email where phishing schemes are prevalent, but you should also be careful when you are surfing the Web or visiting social media websites.2. Shop at trusted, established websites. Don't use any sites that you've never heard of. If you want to try a new website, check to see if any friends or acquaintances have used it successfully.3. Pay only through secure sites. Typically the address in your browser will change from "http:" to "https:" during a secure connection.4. Never email your credit card number, social security number, or personal information to anyone. No reputable seller will request it by email since email is not secure.5. Do your banking and shopping from home where you are on your own secure network. Wi-Fi hotspots at local coffee shops and other establishments usually do not offer enough protection unless the user takes some added precautions, which can be cumbersome for the average user.6. Create strong passwords consisting of numbers, letters, and symbols. Do not use words or names. Make the password for each banking and shopping site unique. Keep your passwords private.7. Credit cards are generally the safest option for shopping online. When using a credit card, you have limited liability and the ability to have the credit card company intervene if something goes awry. Debit cards can also be a good choice as long as you have investigated their liability limits, which may be higher than those of credit cards.8. Keep a paper trail. Let's face it, none of us have perfect memories. Print and save records of your online transactions, including the name of the seller, product description, price, and date of purchase. Most reputable merchants allow you to print a receipt after the transaction is complete. You can use these printed receipts to compare to your bank and credit card statements.9. Monitor your bank accounts and credit card purchases regularly. Report any discrepancies or unusual charges to your financial institution immediately.10. Your social security number is the key to your identity. Be miserly about sharing it with anyone, especially online. No reputable merchant will ever ask for your social security number to make a purchase.Credit card theft is pretty easy to get through. Usually you notify your financial institution and they issue you a new card. Identity theft is much more difficult to handle because a thief can open lines of credit in your name, buy a car, and obtain new credit cards. In order to steal your identity, the thieve needs personal information like social security number, address, phone number and financial information. So be careful when giving out any such information.Many financial experts say that having your bills sent to you electronically and paying them electronically is safer than sending and receiving them by mail. They also recommend shredding paper documents with personal information. So whether you use a credit card at a physical store, you shop and pay bills online, or you pay bills by mail, the key word is "caution." Our mothers taught us to watch our wallets and keep the doors closed. Now we have a lot more convenience, and also a lot more to watch out for.

Back to BasicsFinding Programs on Your ComputerJim Cerny, 2nd Vice President, Sarasota PCUG, FLMay 2014 issue, PC Monitorwww.spcug.orgjimcerny123 (at) gmail.comWhen you turn your computer on, Windows (the master supervisor program, also called the “operating system”) starts and, after a few moments, displays your start screen called the Desktop. This is where you begin using your computer and decide what you want to DO with your computer – that is, select what program you want to run. On the Desktop are: ICONS – those little symbols with words underneath them. Most of these icons represent programs and you “double-click” your left mouse button on the icon of the program you want to run and use. Each program runs in a “window” (hence the term“Windows” for the operating system). The programs you use should have an icon on the desktop. However, most people new to using a Windows computer may not realize that your computer – all computers – come with many programs already installed on the computer. And, over time, you (or someone else using your computer) may have downloaded or installed more programs. Not all these programs have icons on your desktop. To see ALL the programs on your computer, left click once on the “Start” button (or “Start orb”) which is in the lower left corner of your desktop screen. This will open the start MENU which has all kinds of goodies. On this start menu, very near the bottom, is a rectangular box with the words “All programs” on it. Move your mouse arrow to that box and wait - it will open a list of ALL your programs on your computer. There are two important things about this list that you should know. First it is a long list and you will have to use the scrollbar on the right side to see the whole list. You can “scroll down” by putting your mouse arrow on the scrollbar gray slider, hold down the left mouse button, and then drag the mouse down. This will “drag” the scrollbar and show you the rest of the list. The second thing is that there are so many programs they are organized into FOLDERS. Scroll down this list until you see the list of folders – a “folder” has a small yellow icon that looks like folder to the left of the name. The first FOLDER in the list should be the “Accessories” folder of programs. It is this particular folder that we will use for the rest of this article because all Windows computers have it (no matter what version of Windows you are running on your computer). Left click once on the Accessories folder to open it. This will give you a list of all the programs in that folder. All these programs come with Windows so they are on ALL Windows computers. To open or run any program from the “All programs” list, you just left-click once on the name of the program you want to start.We are going to look at three of these programs, so left click on each of these to open them: Click on “Calculator” and a small calculator window will appear on your screen. You can move this window around by dragging the top part of the window with your mouse. It works just like any calculator – just click on the keys with your mouse. Notice that you can click on the “View” menu and change it to a “scientific” calculator and you can click on the “History” option (Windows 7 version or later) to see a list of your calculations. The nice thing about using this calculator is that you can “Copy” and “Paste” any result into your document or email.Click on the “Paint” program and you can draw and have fun creating your own work of art. You can learn how to use this enjoyable program by clicking on the small blue circle with a white “?” in the upper right of the window. Click on “WordPad”. This is a free word-processing program that works just like the Microsoft Word program – except that WordPad has far less features. It works fine for writing letters and creating documents. The beauty of using WordPad is knowing that everyone who has Windows has it, whereas not everyone may have the Word program.The “All Programs” list contains all the programs on your computer and you can run any program on this list by left-clicking on it once. But to REMOVE a program from your computer you need to use the “Uninstall or change a program” feature which we will not go into here. If you want to create a shortcut on your desktop to one of these programs, here is one way to do it: Find the program you want on the all programs list. Move your mouse arrow on that program:Hold down the “Ctrl” key (the Control key) on your keyboardHold down the left mouse button and DRAG to your Desktop areaThe reason you must hold down the Ctrl key first and hold it down while you drag is so that you will make a COPY (also called a “shortcut”) icon on your desktop and NOT MOVE the program from the all programs list. You should ALWAYS keep ALL programs on your All Programs list. If you DELETE a program icon from your desktop, you will not be deleting the program from your computer, only removing the “shortcut” icon from your desktop.You can also find any program from the start menu by entering the name of the program you want in the “Search programs and files” box just below “All programs”. Personally, I find the Calculator, WordPad, and Paint programs fun and helpful, and I am sure you will too. I have made icons (shortcuts) for them on my desktop.

The Month That Was

Special Interest Group

Computer User’s 101

6pm - 8:30pmYour Questions & Answers

We meet Wednesday this month at 6:00 pm at the Greeley Senior Center, 1010 6th Street.

Hosted by: Don Wiegel

I will be here at 6 pm .. Bring your Cameras and Manuals and I will explain the CONTROLS and how to use them. Anything about Digital Photography .. The Internet .. How to Use YOUR Digital DEVICES.Location: Senior Activity Center (Same room as the Monthly meeting)Hosted by: Don WiegelDonbringshis Ultrabook Win8.1 (64) 4-Core Laptop,hisiPod64G,andhisSAMSUNG G4 Smartphone tothisevent.He will answer questions on how he uses these devices, and will demonstrate, by Request, any of the “MANY” programs he has installed on his computer. Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 .. AudaCity 1.3 Beta .. MAGIX Music Maker 17.. MS Auto Collage Maker .. SmartDraw VP .. ACDSee Pro 7 .. Lauyn TOWebXara Designer Pro 10 ... Dynamic Auto-Painter .. MAGIX PhotoStoryPinnacle Studio 14 .. Pictures to Exe .. Many Others2 1/2 Hours of: Your Questions and My AnswersThis is the time & place to ask those questions that don't get asked in larger group events.The focus is the new beginner to the advanced beginner .. We usually have a lot of fun while learning ..I will also answer most of your Questions, usually with DEMOs (Time Permitting).

ANDROID - Operating System

The Random Access

I have decided to start a new page devoted to the Google Android products. I own a Android phone and NEXUS 10 tablet. I will outline my experiences with this system.Lets get started ....

Garfield Daily

TED

ColorNoteNotepad Notes

Dropbox

VIDEOS on the WWWeb

The Random Access

G A D G E T S

The Random Access

Hi .. I'm the Publisher of this newsletter .. Also known as "Mr. GADGET".Each Month I go to the ENDs of the Internet to find *GADGETS* for the 20 minute presentation at the monthly meeting. Below are this MONTHS picks .. Just “CLICK” on most of the pictures to go to the SOURCE. ..... This is a *FUN* few minutes .....

NewsletterThe Random Access newsletter is published monthly on CUGG's website. The content consists of original reviews, advice, viewpoints, and other material written by CUGG members. We encourage members to contribute whenever possible for the benefit of members and the public. As you can see from the Sign to the right .. The Instructions, even though technically right, can be confusing. This groups main mission is to provide clarification.Which comes first .. The Horse .. Or the Cart ???.

The Random Access

City of Greeley

The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States.. Greeley is situated 50 miles North of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. It is known as the 50 mile city, as it is also:• 50 miles from the capital of Wyoming (Cheyenne).The only City in the USA to be 50 miles from TWO State Capitals.• 50 miles from Estes Park in the Rocky Mountain National Forest.• 50 miles from Fort Morgan, the last of the plains cities on the prairie. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and range lands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the Eastern most section of the state includes part of a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains.According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 87,596. Greeley is the 12th most populous city in the State of Colorado and the most populous city of Weld County.